Fire-escape



(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheen 1. A. W. WILGOX 8c M. A. MERRILL. FIREESGAPE. No. 359,526. Fl /nztented Mar. 1.5, 1887..

1LlLII lLllJULlLlLlVLJL ILlLlLll l'Ljl ll lBU| lLll lllLiLlLlLlLlLILlLILiLJLlLILIULIL E s' JD' (-@E'G' e :D "W' f, ZH a wi wg.,

H. PETERs.-Pl\utummgnpmr, Waminglun. D. C.

. N o Model.) 2 Sheets-:Sheet 2.

A. W. WILG-OX xv M. A. MERRILL.

PIRE ESCAPE.

No. 359,526. Patentd Mar. 1'5, 1887.

N. PETERS. Plmwumakmphu. wmngm n.0.

Iov

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALVA W. VILCOX, OF NEWARK, OHIO, AND M. AUGUSTA MERRILL, OF HENDERSON,NEW YORK.

.FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 359,526, dated March15. 1887.

` Application filed July 31,- 1886. Serial No. 209,630. (No model.)

.To all whom t may concern/.-

Be it known that we, ALvnL WVILCOX, o Newark, in the county of Lickingand State of Ohio, and M. AUGUSTA MERRILL, of Henderson, in the countyof Jefferson and State of New York, citizens of the United States, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of whichthe following is a specication, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

Our invention relates to improvements in fire-escapes, and moreparticularly to that class in which a cage or basket is caused to travelback and forth on ways near the roof or cornice of the building, saidc'age being adapted to be raised and lowered so as to rescue personsfrom any part of the building.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a buildingwith our improved escape secured thereto. Fig. 2 is a sectional View ofthe cornice of the building with the track and car thereon. Fig. 3 is aperspective View of the box or casing for holding the cage when not inuse. Fig. 4 is an end view of the frame supporting the windlasses whichoperate the ropes for moving the car and raising or lowering the cage orbasket. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the box or casing for holding thecage or basket. Fig. 6is an end View of the frame supporting thewindlass which operates the ropes for moving the car, and for raisingand lowering the casing which contains the basket. Fig. 7 is a sideelevation of the cage or basket.

' A indicates the front of a building, and B the cornice, under whichthe track or way C is secured by suitable supports, D.

The track C may be made of bar-iron; but we prefer to make it of wirerope, and provide the car with grooved Wheels adapted to move back andforth over said rope.

E is the car or carriage for supporting the cage or basket F, said carbeing provided with grooved Wheels G, adapted to travel on the ways ortracks C, as already indicated. The car E is provided witha centralaperture, in which is mountedagrooved friction-wheel, H, over which thewire ropeI passes, one end of said wire rope I being secured to the topof the car, while the other end is secured tothe drum K, mounted on theshaft L, said shaft being provided with a winch or crank-arm, M, andmounted in suitable bearings in the frame N. The shaft L is providedwith a ratchetwheel, O, with which Athe pawl P engages, and by whichmeans the cage or basket can be safely held at any desired window whilethe persons are getting into the cage, after which the pawl isdisengaged and the car permitted to descend.

The descent of the car is regulated by means of the brake R, which isbrought into contact or removed from contact with the periphery of thewheel Son the shaft L by means of the screw-rod T and brake-wheel V.

W is a wire rope, one end of which is secured to the car E, while theother end is secured to the drum A', mounted in the frame N, said drumbeing provided with a crankarm, B, for operating it. Both of the ropes Wand I pass over the pulley-Wheels C', secured to the cornice at one endof the'track, as shown in Fig. l, and the office of the rope W is todraw the car in the direction of the arrow l.

D is a rope, one end of which is secured to the other end of the car,and passes over the pulley-wheel E', while the other end of said rope issecured to the drum T on the shaft G', mounted in suitable bearings inthe frame H', said shaft G being provided with a crank-arm, I', andratchet-wheel K', which is adapted to engage with the pawl L. The officeof the rope D and the drum T', with its operating devices justdescribed, is to draw the car in the direction of the arrows 2.

It will be noticed that by.having an operator at each windlass or drum Aand T the car can be drawn to any desired point on the track, and thecage brought to any desired window.

It is designed to encase the frames N and H', with their operatingdevices in suitable boxes, said boxes being provided with doors andlocks and keys, so that unauthorized persons cannot tamper with theapparatus, and onlyr such as are intrusted with the keys can have accessto the operating devices.

The cage F is of peculiarl construction, and is by preference made ofwire-netting, but may be made of sheet metal or other suitable material.The cages composed of a series of cylinders, M', ol' different diametersand adapted to slide or telescope one within the other, the sectionsbeingjoined by the rods N', the rods being bent at their upper endsaround the bars in the next section in the form of loops, so they willslide thereon, as shown in Fig. 7.

The several sections ot' the cage are provided with hinged sections O',which forni a door when the cage is distcnded and ready for use, thedoor-sections being connected together by bent rods, so that they willnot interfere with the closing` up of the cage. rlhe rods which connectthe door-sections are the same as the rods il', heretofore described.The cage is provided with a suitable bottom, and pockets or receptaclesmay be placed therein for the reception ot' a hatehet or other toolswhich are necessary. lV hen the cage is not in use it is closed bysliding the sections together one within the other, and it is stored orpacked in the box or receptacle 1)' and the box sus pended nlar thecornice of the building, as shown in Fig. l, by the rope 1t', said ropebeing led over the pulleys S and E' and the other end of said rope beingconnected to the drum T/ on the shalt Y', which is mounted in the lowerportion of the traine H, said shaft V being controlled by a, pawl andratchet to hold the box P in its elevated position. The box or casing;`is provided with a door, F', which is hinged to its lower side, saiddoor being held in a closed position by a suitable latch or hook, W. Thebox or casing l is provided with a slot or opening, A, which extendsfrom the side to the center, so that the cage F can be brought into thebox and its suspendingrope I allowed to pass into the slot A, thushaving,r the cage always secured to its suspending-rope and constantlyready for any emergency. Suitable automatic devices may be employed forreleasing the door of the box P' while it is in its elevated position,which will obviate the necessity of lowering the box except when it isdesired to place the cage therein; and when it is desired te bring,` thecage into use all that is required is to release the door F', when thecage will swing` clear of thebox,ready to be1nanipulated by the ropesand drums already decribed. B is a rope secured to the lower portion ofthe cage, by which the cage can be steadied and held in place by personson the ground. The operating-ropes LW', D, and R are held in position bythe guides D, which are secured to the walls of the building.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent. is

l. In a tirceseape of the character described, the car E, adapted to bemoved back and forth on suitable ways by ropes running` in oppositedirections, in combination with the rope I, car F, drum K, and brakeIt,the ropes passing over suitable pulleys located on the front of thebuilding at the sides thereof, as setfort-h.

2. ln a 'ireescape, the cage F, composed of cylindric-il sections ofwire-netting ot' dill`e1fent diameters, said sections being connectedtogether by the bars L, as described,whereby sections are adapted totelescope or slide into each other, as set forth.

3. ln ahrc-escape, the cage F, composed oi' cylindrical sections ofdifferent diamcters,said sections bein;T provided with hinged sections Oand ljoined together with, a sliding,- con neetion, whereby, when thecage is distended for use, a door will be formed on one side, as setforth.

et. In a lire-escape, the box or receptacle P, provided with the slot A,adapted to receive the rope and cage, in combination with the rope R',drain T', and shaft V', as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof we allix our signatures in presence ot' twowitiiesscs.

ALVA XV. YVILCOX. M. AUGUSTA MERRILL.

Witnesses for Alva \V. iVilcox:

GEORGE I?. Wann, li'. Enza WUiLs'roN. \\'itnesscs i'or M. AugustaMerrill:

S. S. SINsAnxUGH, L. XV. Sixsiluon.

